Cosí lungo l'amate rive andai,
che volendo parlar, cantava sempre
mercé chiamando con estrania voce;
né mai in sí dolci o in sí soava tempre
risonar seppi gli amorosi guai,
che 'l cor s'umilïasse aspro et feroce.
So I went along a pleasant stream
and wishing to speak I found I always sang,
calling for mercy in a strange voice,
but never making my loving sorrows echo
in so sweet or in so soft a mode
as to make that harsh and savage heart relent.